If the
legendary Roberto Carlos wasn’t enough, the eye-catching designs for our Golaço
competition have been getting plenty of attention since we revealed them a couple of weeks ago. Some of the designs are the work of Brazilian artist Victor
Beuren, an upcoming illustrator with a talent for combining a number of
different genres into his own unique style. As we
celebrate the Golaço with our special competition, we spoke to the man himself
about his artwork and bringing that famous Roberto Carlos goal to life…

When did
you first start to get interested in illustration?

‘I started
drawing and learning illustration in 2009. Before that, I used to do some
random drawings here and there on pieces of paper, nothing serious. I have a
background in advertising art direction, so my drawings were made between jobs.’

Which
artists inspired you to start drawing?

‘My mother, my
childhood friend Simon Louis Ducroquet and my former co-worker Fernando Castro.
After I started to take it seriously, I got inspired by Matt Taylor, Matt
Williams (aka Uberkraaft), Mattias Adolfsson, Kali Ciesemier and Roxie
Vizcarra. I’m sure there are a lot more, but these people are the main ones.’

How would
you describe your style of illustration?

‘Fun. I'll
always work trying to have fun, appreciating the entire process, so I believe it
can be seen in the final art.’

Where do you
find inspiration for your work?

‘My everyday
life, games, my family and movies. Every time I think about my work, I think
about my son, Lucas (pictured above with his dad, hard at work!). I always think about making art that will make him proud
of his dad, that will make him talk with his friends at school. All of this is in
the future, of course, as he is only 1. Yeah, for sure, my son is my biggest
inspiration.’

Do you
think that living in Brazil has an impact on your work?

‘Absolutely.
Brazil is a fun country, so I always try to put it in my work.’

Do you
have any particular styles or materials that you prefer to work with?

‘I'm usually
open to trying every kind of technique and media. But my preferred option is
digital. Even working with digital, I like to work as if it is analogue,
thinking and using techniques from traditional styles. So usually, I learn the
traditional techniques that I can then apply to the digital works.’

What are
your ambitions as an illustrator?

‘To keep having
fun. I don't plan to live from my illustrations, I want to keep it as my side
project. I believe that this way I can work on awesome projects, enjoying the
process and having fun every time I sit at the drawing board.’

How did
you first approach this project for us?

‘I watched the
goal hundreds of times, in lots of different languages, so I could feel the
reaction from the narrator, the tone of voice, the joy he felt. Then I studied
the way that the ball travelled, observed the players' expressions and started to
draw some concepts and ideas. I remembered the goal, but it is different remembering
it and then watching it again now. It was nice to see again how amazing the
goal was.’

Was it a
difficult process or did the idea come together quite quickly?

‘The idea didn't
come easily. Actually, I had eight ideas to send to over. But the chosen one
wasn't there until the last 30min of my deadline. I was preparing the sketches
to send and in the middle of scans and Photoshop adjustments, I had the idea,
made a quick rough sketch and sent it. It was the one I liked the most and it
was chosen.’

Do you
feel you had to adapt your natural style to fit the idea behind this project?

‘It was
something I was absolutely comfortable with. I always work with strong
movements and shapes, so it fits perfectly with the brief.’

Are you
happy with the final results?

‘Sometimes, the
final work isn't as good as you expected, the hands don't reproduce what the
mind imagined. But it wasn't the case with these illustrations. I can say that
it was even better than I had imagined.’

Has
football played a part in your work before?

‘Even living in
Brazil, this was the first time I’ve worked on something connected with
football. Of course I had already made football drawings, but this was the
first time as a professional.’

Do you
think its true that all of Brazil is crazy about football?

‘Absolutely. We
breathe football, and you can't live without breathing.’

Is the
Roberto Carlos goal as well regarded in Brazil as it is here in Europe?

‘It is a goal
that is always shown on our best goals lists. You know, we are used to seeing
golaços all the time as our football is amazing, but that is one of the best,
for sure.’

What about
Roberto Carlos, how do Brazilians see him?

‘Roberto Carlos
is an idol in Brazil. He is always remembered for his really strong shots and
insane goals.’

How do you
feel about all the attention that your country will be getting this year?

‘I feel that
it will be a good thing. My generation always saw Brazil doing good in almost
every championship, but not having the chance to bring big sports events home. We
tried to bring these events to Brazil on other occasions, but we were not even
close. So it was a surprise to everyone when it happened and it was celebrated
a lot.’

And how do
you think Brazil will do in the tournament next year?

‘I was in the
Maracanã for the Confederations Cup Final, against Spain. What I saw there was
unbelievable. The energy from the crowd was insane, there was 80k people on the
field with the players. I believe that playing home will help the team. I can't
say we will be champions, but the team will do good. Ah, forget it. We will be
world champions again!’

Many thanks to
Victor for offering us these insights into his fantastic work - you can download wallpapers of all our Umbro Golaço artworks for free right here. Have you shown
us your Golaço yet? Head to UmbroGolaco.com now if you want to be in with a
chance of winning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Brazil.